793.94/16303: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:35 p.m.]
563. My 559, November 5, 11 a.m. paragraph numbered 4. In an informal conversation with General Ho Ying Chin on November 5 he informed me that a total of 80 military planes had been acquired by China from Russia this year, that China still has unused Russian credits amounting to 30,000,000 dollars (presumably United States currency), that the Russians are willing to sell China the remains of type planes E–15 and E–16, that China does not desire to acquire [Page 688] more planes of the above-mentioned types for the reason that they are obsolete and “death traps”, that Russia has not been willing to deliver to China new model planes for the alleged reason that the Soviet Union needs these new type planes for the members of its own air force, that Russia has given informal assurances to endeavor to supply China with some new type airplanes about the end of the present year and that Russian volunteer pilots were all withdrawn several months ago because China no longer had planes to supply them with and because China has adequate air personnel of its own.
Sent to the Department only.